Overbooking On A United Flight

[emmie]

was this the only way for them to get this chap off the flight, surely not.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-39563570

[murraymints]

United could and should have put their 4 members of staff on another carrier's flight if necessary

[bednobs]

It doesn't really matter what could or should have happened. I think we can all agree it was badly handled. But seriously if it had been you would you have been dragged off because you refused to leave?

[Samuraisan]

I wonder what their criteria was to choose those two particular passengers.

[Bazile]

bednobs
//..But seriously if it had been you would you have been dragged off because you refused to leave? //

I don't follow your question

[bednobs]

Iam asking if most normal reasonable people would have got off when asked to (or at least when four burly security blokes started coming towards you) or whether you really honesty would have been so petulant to let yourself be dragged away

[EDDIE51]

Normally if there are no volunteers to get off they offer cash compensation and up the amount until someone does volunteer.
I have been on a flight where the airline offered £200 each compensation and a free Hotel with food and drinks if 3 passengers volunteered to get off and take the next day's flight, I tried to volunteer but was too late !

[jno]

quite so, Eddie, I've done the same - got a couple of free nights in a luxury hotel and a free return flight anywhere on their network. The difference of course was that they did this at check-in, not once they'd boarded. It was the airline's fault from beginning to end.

I also wonder what their criteria were. It has been pointed out that the protesting passenger seemed to be of Asian origin.

[Tilly2]

Did they actually get another two people to volunteer to get off? I presume the wife just followed on after the husband had been dragged off.

[237SJ]

My link says that 4 people were selected to leave and three of them did but this man refused.

[jno]

he wasn't actually dragged off, Tilly. He was "re-accommodated"

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/when-youre-not-just-bumped-but-also-bruised-united-airlines-uses-the-same-word-for-it-2017-04-10

[Tilly2]

Thank you, 237. I didn't read your link.

[Tilly2]

That explains it, Jno. Re-accommodated!

[emmie]

i would be incensed to be turfed off in such a way, better to have got to the boarding gate to be asked to vacate for a degree of compensation.

[emmie]

Murray
i totally agree, the staff could well have joined another flight. this was completely bungled in my opinion.

[Guilbert53]

I cant believe bednobs attitude here saying:
>>>sorry but that man was an utter wang - asked to leave but he refused to

WHY SHOULD HE LEAVE?

Suppose you had booked a room in a hotel, and checked in to your room. Then later someone from the hotel says they have overbooked the rooms and they want to throw you out on the street.

I am sure like most people you would object and refuse to go.

And you would feel even worse if a few burly security men came and dragged you out your room and threw you out the hotel.

The man in the plane had paid for his ticket, they had taken his luggage on board, let him board the plane and sat him in his seat.

No airline then has the right to say to a passenger "sorry we have chosen to throw you off the plane" and I think every passenger has the right to protest about that.

I think they may have to pay him a few million dollars "compensation" and also it will cost them far more than that in lost sales and lost reputation.

One of the worst examples of how to deal with your customers I have ever seen.

[jno]

Guilbert, United's shares are taking a bit of a hammering at the moment

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/united-airlines-united-continental-shares-slide-drop-expect-passenger-dragged-flight-3411-overbooked-a7678051.html

[emmie]

Guilbert
couldn't agree more.

[mikey4444]

United have shot themselves in both feet here. The chap that they dragged off of the plane was a Doctor for gods sake !

If Airlines continually overbook their aircraft, than this sort of thing will happen.

Why should anybody have to give up their seat and their carefully laid plans, just so that 4 crew members can fly instead ?

[jno]

you have to hope the staff members in need of transport weren't wearing leggings...

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/26/us/united-airlines-leggings.html?_r=0

[Kromovaracun]

The passenger in question was a Dr, who was needed at a hospital in Louisville the next morning. Even if the normal arguments about having booked your seat don't sway you, this is a perfectly good reason to resist being thrown off.

Like someone else said, they should have auctioned the seats and upped the price until someone volunteered. This is normal practice and happens all the time. Disgraceful behaviour, I hope they have the book thrown at them.